A Virginia man pardoned by President Donald Trump after assaulting police officers and smashing windows during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is back behind bars after allegedly burglarizing a home.
Zachary Jordan Alam was released from prison less than four months ago while serving an eight-year federal sentence. The Henrico County Police Division said in a statement that he was arrested on May 9 after breaking into a home outside Richmond and stealing several items.
Alam, 33, allegedly broke in through a back door around 8:30 p.m. and fled after being confronted by the home’s residents. He was taken into custody by police in a nearby neighborhood, authorities said.
Alam had been serving a 96-month prison sentence, followed by 36 months of supervised release, when granted clemency by Trump on Jan. 20, 2025, for participating in the violence. He was one of more than 1,500 participants pardoned.
Alam, who online records show already has a lengthy criminal record — with past arrests for residential burglary, grand larceny, assault, disorderly conduct, and vandalism — pleaded not guilty to his charges and expressed no remorse for his actions, telling the judge at the time that he “believed in my heart I was doing the right thing. Sometimes you have to break the rules to do what’s right.”
